This invention relates to miniaturized drug delivery devices and more particularly, to controlled time and rate release multi-welled drug delivery devices.
Drug delivery is an important aspect of medical treatment. The efficacy of many drugs is directly related to the way in which they are administered. Some therapies require that the drug be repeatedly administered to the patient over a long period of time. This makes the selection of a proper drug delivery method problematic. Patients often forget, are unwilling, or are unable to take their medication. Drug delivery also becomes problematic when the drugs are too potent for systemic delivery. Therefore, attempts have been made to design and fabricate a delivery device which is capable of the controlled, pulsatile or continuous release of a wide variety of molecules including, but not limited to, drugs and other therapeutics.
Controlled release polymeric devices have been designed to provide drug release over a period of time via diffusion of the drug out of the polymer and/or degradation of the polymer over the desired time period following administration to the patient. However, these devices are relatively simple.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,962 to Cima, et al. discloses the use of three dimensional printing methods to make more complex devices which provide release over a desired time frame, of one or more drugs. Although the general procedure for making a complex device is described, specific designs are not detailed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,379 to Ellinwood describes an implantable electromechanically driven device that includes a flexible retractable walled container, which receives medication from a storage area via an inlet and then dispenses the medication into the body via an outlet. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,146,029 and 3,692,027 to Ellinwood disclose self-powered medication systems that have programmable miniaturized dispensing means. U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,019 to Jassawalla discloses an implantable infusion device that includes an actuating means for delivery of the drug through a catheter. The actuating means includes a solenoid driven miniature pump. All of these devices include miniature power-driven mechanical parts that are required to operate in the body, i.e., they must retract, dispense, or pump. These are complicated and subject to breakdown. Moreover, due to complexity and size restrictions, they are unsuitable to deliver more than a few drugs or drug mixtures at a time.
It therefore would be desirable to provide a multi-welled delivery device that is relatively simple to use and manufacture, but which is dependable and capable of delivering drugs or other molecules and can operate for weeks or years at a time. It would also be desirable to provide such a device that provides the delivery of drugs or other molecules in a controlled manner, such as continuously or pulsatile, and which operates actively or passively. It would further be desirable to provide such a device that can hold many different drugs or other molecules of varying dosages and is small enough to be implanted.